Scented Packaging

ABSTRACT

A product package and method that allows a consumer to sample a fragrance of a product at the point of sale. The product package ( 100 ) includes a vessel ( 102 ) defining an orifice ( 114 ), a product ( 104 ) disposed within the vessel that may be dispensed from the vessel through the orifice, a cap ( 108 ) attached to the vessel, and a scented material ( 144 ) having a fragrance ( 146 ). When the cap, and thus the product package, is in an open position, the fragrance of the scented material is released to an exterior of the product package and may be sampled or smelled by a consumer. When the cap, and thus the product package, is in a closed position, the fragrance of the scented material is substantially prevented from being released to the exterior of the product package.

BACKGROUND

Packaging of consumer items is important in attracting the attention ofa potential customer such that the buyer will consider purchasing aproduct. Packaging that is attractive, appears to be of high quality,and conveys product details will often influence a consumer to purchasethe product. For oral care products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.,product flavor is also often an important purchase consideration. Forpersonal care products such as deodorants, antiperspirants, powders,lotions, etc., a potential consumer may select the product based, atleast in part, on product fragrance.

The sensory qualities of flavor and fragrance are often described onproduct packaging using descriptive indicia such as text and/orgraphics. While the descriptive indicia may provide a general indicationof the sensory quality of the product, descriptive indicia can besubjective and may give a consumer an inaccurate understanding of theproduct contents and sensory qualities. As such, the actual flavor orfragrance of the product may vary from the user's expectations that aresolely based on the text and/or graphics and may, in turn, lead to thecustomer's dissatisfaction with the product.

Developed to avoid this dissatisfaction, various conventional scentpackaging designs are known. Packaging that allows a potential customerto experience the fragrance of a product, or an emulation of thefragrance, within the package may be referred to herein as “scentpackaging” or a “scent package.” As aromas are closely physiologicallylinked with flavor, fragrances delivered by scent packaging may furtherbe used to provide a consumer with an indication of the flavor or tasteof the product.

Various types of conventional scent packaging suffer from variousproblems. For example, some scent packaging continuously delivers afragrance because the packaging does not seal the fragrance-producingmaterial from the outside air, and thus the fragrance may becomedepleted before the product is sold and may also cross-contaminate thefragrance from adjacent scent packages having different fragrances. Foranother example, some scent packaging may use a substance embedded witha scent-emitting chemical that emulates the scent of the product within,and this substance may negatively affect the product within if it comesin contact with the product. Such conventional scent packaging may notensure that the scent-emitting chemical is physically separated from theproduct, and the substance may thus negatively interact with theproduct, either before or after sale of the product.

Scent packaging that, for example, overcomes one or more problems ofconventional scent packaging would be a welcome addition to the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating some preferred aspects of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

In accordance with an implementation, a product package includes avessel defining an orifice, a product disposed within the vessel andconfigured to be dispensed from the vessel through the orifice, a capthat is configured to be attached to the vessel, wherein the cap isrepositionable from a closed position to an open position, and from theopen position to the closed position, a seal positioned over the orificeand configured to seal the product within the vessel, and a scentedmaterial having a fragrance. The scented material is attached to asurface of the seal, and the product package is configured to releasethe fragrance of the scented material to an exterior of the productpackage when the cap is in the open position and to substantiallyprevent the release of the fragrance to the exterior of the productpackage when the cap is in the closed position.

Optionally, the may seal be configured to be removed to allow theproduct to be dispensed from the vessel, and the scented material may beconfigured to be removed simultaneously with a removal of the seal. Thevessel may further include a threaded end, where the cap may beconfigured to be screwed onto the threaded end to place the cap in theclosed position, and configured to be unscrewed from the threaded end toplace the cap in the open position.

The product package may include optional text and/or graphics on theexterior of the product package that inform a consumer that the productpackage includes the fragrance that may be sampled by moving the capfrom the closed position to the open position. The product may be one ofa toothpaste, a mouthwash, a deodorant, an antiperspirant, a perfume, apowder, and a lotion.

In another implementation, a product package includes a vessel definingan orifice, a product disposed within the vessel and configured to bedispensed from the vessel through the orifice, a cap that is configuredto be attached to the vessel, wherein the cap is repositionable from aclosed position to an open position, and from the open position to theclosed position, and a scented material having a fragrance, wherein thescented material is attached to the cap. The product package isconfigured to release the fragrance of the scented material to anexterior of the product package when the cap is in the open position andto substantially prevent the release of the fragrance to the exterior ofthe product package when the cap is in the closed position.

Optionally, the cap may include a base, a top, a hinge that movablyattaches the base to the top, and a dispensing tip defining an opening.The product package may be configured to dispense the product from theopening defined by the dispensing tip. The cap may further include aring protruding from an inner surface of the top, wherein the ringencircles an end of the dispensing tip and the opening when the productpackage is in the closed position. The scented material may be disposedin a pattern around the ring. Optionally, the cap may be configured tobe removed from the vessel to provide access to a seal that blocks theorifice, and the seal may be configured to be removed to allow theproduct to be dispensed from the vessel.

The vessel may optionally include a threaded end where the cap isconfigured to be unscrewed from the threaded end to provide the accessto the seal. The product may be one of a toothpaste, a mouthwash, adeodorant, an antiperspirant, a perfume, a powder, and a lotion.

In another implementation, a method for manufacturing a product packageincludes disposing a product into a vessel, the vessel defining anorifice, wherein the product is configured to be dispensed from thevessel through the orifice. The method further includes providing a sealand a cap, attaching a scented material to at least one of the seal andthe cap, and attaching the seal to the vessel, wherein the seal isconfigured to seal the product within the vessel. The method furtherincludes attaching the cap to the vessel, wherein the cap isrepositionable from a closed position to an open position to release afragrance from the scented material to an exterior of the productpackage, and from the open position to the closed position therebysubstantially preventing the release of the fragrance to the exterior ofthe product package.

The attaching of the scented material to the at least one of the sealand the cap may include attaching the scented material to the seal.Further, the vessel may include a lip that defines the orifice, and theattaching of the seal to the vessel may further include attaching theseal to the lip. The seal may be configured to be removed from the lipprior to dispensing the product from the vessel. The attaching of thescented material to the at least one of the seal and the cap may includeattaching the scented material to the cap.

The attaching of the cap to the vessel may include screwing the cap ontoa threaded end of the vessel. The disposing of the product into thevessel may include disposing one of a toothpaste, a mouthwash, adeodorant, an antiperspirant, a perfume, a powder, and a lotion into thevessel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a product package according to animplementation of the present teachings.

FIG. 2 is an assembled side view of the FIG. 1 product package;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a product package according to anotherimplementation of the present teachings.

FIG. 4 is an assembled side view of the FIG. 3 product package.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method for dispensing a product froma product package according to another implementation of the presentteachings.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting a method for manufacturing a productpackage in accordance with another implementation of the presentteachings.

It should be noted that some details of the figures have been simplifiedand are drawn to facilitate understanding of the present teachingsrather than to maintain strict structural accuracy, detail, and scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of various preferred aspects are merelyexemplary in nature and are in no way intended to limit the presentteachings, their application, or uses.

As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each andevery value that is within the range. Any value within the range can beselected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references citedherein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. In theevent of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and thatof a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.

The present teachings described herein include a product package thatallows a consumer to sample or smell a fragrance, aroma, and/or scentthat emanates from a scented material within the package at the point ofsale. The scent may be provided by any suitable carrier material, suchby (or including) a natural material, a synthetic material, a gel, asolid, a liquid, etc., that is impregnated with a scent or otherwisereleases, emits, diffuses, produces, or gives off a scent. Suitablescented materials are known in the art. When in a closed state, thepresently described scent packaging releases little or no scent and,when in an open state, the scent packaging releases a scent that issuitable for sampling or smelling by a consumer. It will be appreciatedthat, in an aspect of the present teachings, a seal may provide completesealing of the fragrance within the product package to prevent therelease of the fragrance to the exterior of the product package suchthat no human-detectable amount of fragrance is released. In anotheraspect, the seal may be imperfect such that a small (e.g., barelyhuman-detectable) amount of fragrance is released in the closedposition, where the release of the fragrance is diminished but notcompletely eliminated. This may be referred to as “substantially sealed”and substantially prevents the release of fragrance to the exterior ofthe product package. In an aspect, “substantially sealed” may refer to aseal that limits the diminishment of the strength of the fragrance fromthe scented material to a 20% or less reduction over a 90 day period atroom temperature, or to a 10% or less reduction over a 90 day period atroom temperature. For purposes of this application, the term “sealed”includes product packages that are “substantially sealed” and the term“substantially sealed” includes product packages that are “sealed,”unless otherwise indicated.

The scent released by the scented material may be provided by achemical(s) that releases a fragrance that is a replica, likeness,emulation, or facsimile of the fragrance of the product, such as thesame fragrance-inducing chemical(s) that is used in the productcomposition. In this instance, the scented material may release a firstfragrance that is similar, substantially similar, or the same as asecond fragrance released by the product. In other instances, the scentmay be provided by a carrier material impregnated with an amount of theproduct itself, in which case the first fragrance released by thescented material may be the same as the second fragrance released by theproduct. In yet another instance, the scent may be provided by a carriermaterial impregnated with an amount of the product itself, with thecarrier material contributing an odor(s) to the first fragrance that isdissimilar from the second fragrance released by the product, such thatthe first fragrance is only similar or substantially similar to thesecond fragrance. Thus the product may have a scent and the scentedmaterial may release a fragrance, where the fragrance is, orapproximates, the scent. The fragrance may be released from the productpackage for as long as the product package remains in the open position.For example, the product package may be placed into the open positionfor one second or more, 30 seconds or more, or one minute or more, andthe fragrance will be continuously released by the scented material fromthe product package for one second or more, 30 seconds or more, or oneminute or more, respectively. Once the product package is placed intothe closed position, the product package becomes sealed.

A first configuration of a product package or product dispenser 100 thatprovides a scent package according to the present teachings is depictedin the exploded perspective depiction of FIG. 1 and the assembled sideview of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that a product package inaccordance with the present teachings may include structures that, forclarity and simplicity, have not been depicted in the figures, and thatvarious depicted structures may be removed or modified. The productpackage 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a receptacle, container, or vessel102 and a product 104 that may be stored within, and may be dispensedfrom, the vessel 102 during use by a user. The product package 100further includes, a seal 106, for example a removable seal 106, and acap 108, for example a removable cap 108.

The vessel 102 may be flexible, semi-rigid, rigid, or combinationsthereof, and may be provided in the form of a tube, a bottle, or anothersuitable form. The vessel 102 may include a body 110 and an end 112including an orifice 114. A lip 120 of the end 112 may define theorifice 114. The vessel 102 may further include a shoulder 116positioned between, and attached to, the body 110 and the end 112. Theend 112 of the vessel 102 may include threads 118 that mate with threadsof the cap 108 (on the interior of the cap 108 and not depicted forsimplicity) to provide or allow an attachment of the cap 108 to thethreaded end 112 of the vessel 102 as depicted in FIG. 2, although othercap attachment techniques, as are known in the art, are contemplated.

During manufacture, the product 104 may be sealed or contained withinthe vessel 102 using the seal 106, for example, to reduce or preventcontamination, leakage, and/or deterioration of the product 104 prior tosale. The seal 106 may be or include, for example, a laminate thatincludes a foil such as a metal foil, a plastic or other polymer, etc.The seal 106 may be attached to the lip 120 of the end 112 using, forexample, an adhesive 122, a heat sealing technique, or another techniqueor combination of techniques. Other types of seals as are known in theart are contemplated. The seal 106 may be removed or punctured by theproduct purchaser after the purchaser has taken the product home foruse.

The product 104 may be in the form of a liquid, a paste, a gel, a solid,or another suitable form. The product 104 may be, for example, apersonal care product such as toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant,antiperspirant, perfume, lotion, or powder, or another product.

The cap 108 of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a base 130, a top 132, and a hinge134 that movably attaches the base 130 to the top 132. During use, thehinge 134 may bend or flex to allow the top 132 pivot away from the base130 and open, thereby exposing a dispensing tip 136 having an opening138, and to pivot toward the base 130 and close onto the base 130 suchthat the top 132 covers the dispensing tip 136. The top 132 of the cap108 may include a ring 140 protruding from an inner surface 142 of thetop 132. The ring 140 may encircle the end of the tip 136 and theopening 138 of the tip 136 when the cap 108 is in a closed position. Thering 140 and the portion of the inner surface 142 within the ring 140may block the opening 138 and may reduce or prevent the unwanteddispensing of the product 104 from the opening 138 when the top 132 isclosed onto the base 130, as depicted in FIG. 2, where the cap 108, andthus the product package 100, is in the closed position. Conversely, thehinged cap 108 may allow dispensing of the product 104 from the opening138 when the top 132, and thus the cap 108 and the product package 100,is in an open position of FIG. 1. The cap 108 is thus repositionablefrom the closed position to the open position and from the open positionto the closed position.

FIG. 1 further depicts a scented material 144 that may be positioned onthe inner surface 142 of the top 132, and within the cap 108. FIG. 1depicts the scented material 144 positioned or disposed in a circularpattern that encircles the ring 140, although it is contemplated thatthe scented material 144 may be positioned at other locations of thebase 130 or top 132 that are within the cavity formed when the top 132is closed on the base 130. For one example or another location (notindividually depicted for simplicity), the scented material 144 may bedisposed in dot(s) around the inner sidewalls of the top 132. When thecap 108 is in the open position of FIG. 1, the scented material 144 isexposed and releases a scent, aroma, or fragrance 146 to an exterior ofthe product package 100. When the cap 108 is in the closed position ofFIG. 2, the scented material 144, and the fragrance 146 releasedtherefrom, is partially or completely sealed within the product package100, such that little or none of the fragrance is released from thecavity formed when the top 132 is closed on the base 130 of the cap 108.As described above, the scented material 144 may be or include a naturalmaterial, a synthetic material, a gel, a solid, a liquid, etc., that isimpregnated with a fragrance 146 or otherwise releases, emits, diffuses,produces, or gives off a fragrance 146. Suitable scent-releasingmaterials are known in the art. The fragrance 146 may be provided by achemical(s) that releases a fragrance that is a replica, likeness, orfacsimile of the fragrance of the product 104. In some instances, thechemical(s) may be the same fragrance-producing chemical(s) that is acomponent of the product 104. In other instances, the fragrance 146 maybe provided by an amount of the product 104 itself used as, or as acomponent of, the scented material 144.

The product package 100 may further include text and/or graphicalindicia 148 on the exterior of the product package 100 that includestext and/or graphics that informs a consumer that the product package100 includes a fragrance 146 that may be sampled by opening the top 132of the cap 108 or otherwise moving or repositioning the product package100 from the closed position to the open position. While the productpackage 100 is displayed, for example, on a store shelf before purchase,the scented material 144 is sealed within the cap 108, and thus thescented package 100 releases little or none of the fragrance 146 to theexterior of the product package 100. Upon opening the cap 108 orotherwise placing the cap 108 in the open position, the fragrance 146released by the scented material 144 may be sampled or smelled by theconsumer before purchase. When the cap 108 is closed or otherwise placedin the closed position, the fragrance 146 released by the scentedmaterial 144 is contained within the interior of the product package100, (e.g., within the cavity formed when the top 132 is closed on thebase 130), with little or none of the fragrance 146 being releasedexterior to the product package 100. Before purchase, the seal 106blocks the orifice 114. Further, the seal 106 provides a barrier thatmaintains a physical separation between the scented material 144 and theproduct 104.

After purchasing the product package 100, the consumer may remove thecap 108, for example, by rotating and unscrewing the cap 108 from thethreads 118. The consumer may then remove the seal 106 to expose theproduct 104 within the vessel 102, for example, by peeling the seal 106from the lip 120. The seal 106 may be discarded and the cap 108 may bereplaced onto the vessel 102, for example, by rotating and screwing thecap 108 onto the threads 118. The product 104 may then be dispensed fromthe product package 100, for example, by placing the cap 108 in the openposition and applying pressure to the body 110 of the vessel 102 and tothe product 104 therein such that the product 104 is forced out of theorifice 114, into the dispensing tip 136, and out of the opening 138.

After removing the seal 106 and replacing the cap 108, the ring 140 mayreduce or prevent physical contact between the product 104 and thescented material 144.

It is contemplated that the product package 100, for example, the cap108 design, may be modified from that depicted based, at least in part,on the characteristics of the product 104, such as the viscosity of theproduct being dispensed. The product package 100 may also be modifiedbased, at least in part, on other considerations such as cost, formfactor, design, etc. For example, the cap 108 may be a flip-top cap 108as depicted, a screw cap, a friction fit cap, or another cap design thatincludes a selectably sealed or semi-sealed cavity. The product package100 may include other structures, such as a roller ball or a spray pumpin place of or in conjunction with the dispensing tip 136, depending onthe product being dispensed as well as the design of the product package100.

In the implementation of FIGS. 1 and 2, the scented material 144 mayremain within the cap 108 during use of the product 104 and the productpackage 100 by the consumer, and the product package may be discarded bythe consumer, for example, once the product 104 within the vessel 110has been depleted.

Another product package 300 in accordance with an implementation of thepresent teachings is depicted in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 3and the assembled view of FIG. 4. For ease of explanation, thisimplementation is discussed with reference to various like-numberedstructures as described above and their description are not repeated. Itwill be appreciated that the product package 300 of this implementationmay include other structures that, for clarity and simplicity, have notbeen depicted, while depicted structures may be removed or modified.

The product package 300 of FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a cap 302, forexample, a screw cap 302 having interior threads (not depicted forsimplicity) that mate with threads 118 of end 112. The cap 302 may thusbe attached to, or removed from, the end 112 of the vessel 102 by eitherscrewing, or unscrewing, the cap 302 relative to the threads 118 of thevessel 102. The product package 300 further includes a scented material304 attached, for example permanently attached, to a surface of the seal106 such that, when the seal 106 is attached to the lip 120, the seal106 is positioned between the lip 120 and the scented material 304. Theseal 106 thus provides a barrier and maintains physical separationbetween the scented material 304 and the product 104 that is positionedor located inside of the vessel 102.

Additionally, the cap 302 is dimensioned such that when the cap 302 isscrewed all the way onto the vessel 102 (e.g., when the cap 302 touches,or is at its closest point to, the shoulder 116 of the vessel 102 asdepicted in FIG. 4), there is an interior space or cavity 306 betweenthe top of the scented material 304 and the top 305 of the cap 302.Thus, when the cap 302 is attached to the vessel 102 as depicted in FIG.4, the scented material 304 is positioned within the space or cavity 306in the cap 302. While the product package 300 is displayed, for example,on a store shelf, the scented material 304 is sealed, or substantiallysealed, within the cavity 306 of the cap 302, and thus scented package300 does not release, or does not significantly release, the fragrance146 to the exterior of the product package 300. When a potentialconsumer removes the cap 302 or otherwise places the product package 300in the open position, for example, in a store, the fragrance 146released by the scented material 304 may be sampled or smelled by theconsumer before purchasing or buying the product. When the cap 302 isattached to the end 112, or the product package 300 is otherwise placedin the closed position, the fragrance 146 released by the scentedmaterial 304 is contained within the cavity 306 in the interior of theproduct package 300, with little or none of the fragrance 146 beingreleased exterior to the product package 300.

In order to use the product 104 after purchasing the product package300, the consumer may remove the cap 302, for example, by rotating andunscrewing the cap 302 from the threads 118. The consumer may thenremove the seal 106 along with the scented material 304, for example, bypeeling the seal 106 from the lip 120. The product 104 may then bedispensed from the product package 100, for example, by applyingpressure to the body 110 of the vessel 102 and to the product 104therein such that the product 104 is forced out of the orifice 114.

In contrast to the product package 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2, the scentedmaterial 304 of product package 300 is removed from the product package300 simultaneously with the removal of the seal 106, and may bediscarded with the seal 106. The scented material 304 is removed with noadditional effort by the consumer, as the seal 106 is designed to beremoved to provide access to the product 104 within the vessel 102 suchthat the product 104 may be dispensed from the vessel 102 through theorifice 114. Removal and discarding of the scented material 304 alongwith the seal 106, for example, reduces or prevents physical contactbetween the product 104 and the scented material 304.

It is further contemplated that the scented material 304 may bepositioned on an interior surface of the cap 302, such as on theinterior surface of the top 305 of the cap 302. In this implementation,the scented material 304 may remain with the cap 302 and eventuallydiscarded with the product package 300, for example, after the product104 has been depleted. Moreover, it is contemplated that the scentedmaterial may be placed on both the seal and the cap in one or more ofthe implementations discussed herein.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting an example of a method 500 fordispensing a product from a product package in accordance with animplementation of the present teachings. The method 500 may proceed byoperation or use of one or more of the structures depicted in thefigures described above, and thus is described with reference to FIGS.1-4; however, it will be appreciated that the method 500 is not limitedto any particular structure unless expressly stated herein.

The method begins at 502, where a product package 100, 300 isrepositioned from a closed position to an open position, therebyreleasing a fragrance 146 from a scented material 144, 304 of theproduct package 100, 300. At 504, the product package 100, 300 may berepositioned from the open position to the closed position, therebysealing the fragrance 146 within the product package 100, 300 to atleast a significant extent. These method acts may be performed, forexample, by a consumer in a store prior to purchase of the productpackage 100, 300 and/or at home after purchasing the product. Todispense the product 104, a cap 108, 302 may be removed to expose a seal106 positioned over an orifice 114 of a vessel 102. The seal 106provides a barrier between the scented material 144, 304 and the product104 within the vessel 102 of the product package 100, 300 as at 506. Asillustrated at 508, the exposed seal 106 may be removed by the consumerfrom the product package 100, 300 to expose the product 104 within theproduct package 100, 300, thus providing the product 104 a path to exitthe vessel 102. Optionally, while removing the seal 106, and for examplewith the scented material 304 attached to a surface of the seal 106, thescented material 304 may be simultaneously removed from the productpackage 300 as at 510. Subsequently, at 512, the cap 108, 302 may bereplaced onto the vessel 102, and the product 104 may be dispensed fromthe vessel 102 through the orifice 114 as at 514.

It will be appreciated that while the method 500 is described as aseries of acts or events, the present teachings are not limited by theordering of such acts or events. For example, when initially dispensingthe product 104 from the vessel 102 after removing the seal 106, themethod 500 may include reversing method acts 512 and 514. In otherwords, after removing the seal 106 to expose the product 104 within thevessel 102 (which, in an implementation, may also include simultaneouslyremoving the scented material 304 as at 510), the product 104 may bedispensed from the vessel 102 through the orifice 114 prior to replacingthe cap 108, 302.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting an example of a method 600 formanufacturing a product package in accordance with an implementation ofthe present teachings. The method 600 may proceed by operation or use ofone or more of the structures depicted in the figures described above,and thus is described with reference to FIGS. 1-4; however, it will beappreciated that the method 600 is not limited to any particularstructure unless expressly stated herein.

At 602, the method 600 for manufacturing a product package 100, 300begins by disposing a product 104 into a vessel 102, the vessel 102defining an orifice 114, wherein the product 104 is configured to bedispensed from the vessel 102 through the orifice 114. The method 600further includes providing a seal 106 and a cap 108, 302, as at 604, andattaching a scented material 144, 304 to at least one of the seal 106and the cap 108, 302, as at 606. At 608, the seal 106 is attached to thevessel 102, for example, to a lip 120 that defines the orifice 114,where the seal 106 is configured to seal the product 104 within thevessel 102. In various implementations, the seal 106 may be attached tothe vessel 102 after disposing the product 104 into the vessel 102,while in other implementations the seal 106 may be attached to thevessel 102 prior to disposing the produce within the vessel, or example,through an opening at an end of the vessel 102 opposite the lip 120 andthe orifice 114. The method 600, at 610, further includes attaching thecap 108, 302 to the vessel 102, where the cap 108, 302 is repositionablefrom a closed position to an open position to release a fragrance 146from the scented material 144, 304 to an exterior of the product package100, 300, and from the open position to the closed position therebysubstantially preventing the release of the fragrance 146 to theexterior of the product package 100, 300.

Various implementations of the present teachings thus provide a productpackage or scent package that allows a consumer to sample or smell aproduct fragrance at the point of sale. When the product package is in aclosed position, the fragrance is enclosed within the product package,for example, within the cap or lid of the product package. When theproduct package is in an open position, the fragrance is released fromthe product package and is available for sampling or smelling by aconsumer. As aromas are closely physiologically linked with flavor,fragrances delivered by scent packaging according to the presentimplementations may further be used to provide a consumer with anindication of the flavor or taste of the product.

While the present teachings have been illustrated with respect to one ormore implementations, alterations and/or modifications can be made tothe illustrated examples without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. For example, it will be appreciated that while theprocess is described as a series of acts or events, the presentteachings are not limited by the ordering of such acts or events. Someacts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other actsor events apart from those described herein. Also, not all processstages may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with oneor more aspects of the present teachings. It will be appreciated thatstructural components and/or processing stages can be added or existingstructural components and/or processing stages can be removed ormodified. Further, one or more of the acts depicted herein may becarried out in one or more separate acts and/or phases. Furthermore, tothe extent that the terms “including,” “includes,” “having,” “has,”“with,” or variants thereof are used in either the detailed descriptionand the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a mannersimilar to the term “comprising.” The term “at least one of” is used tomean one or more of the listed items can be selected. As used herein,the term “one or more of” with respect to a listing of items such as,for example, A and B, means A alone, B alone, or A and B. The term “atleast one of” is used to mean one or more of the listed items can beselected. Further, in the discussion and claims herein, the term “on”used with respect to two materials, one “on” the other, means at leastsome contact between the materials, while “over” means the materials arein proximity, but possibly with one or more additional interveningmaterials such that contact is possible but not required. Neither “on”nor “over” implies any directionality as used herein. The term“conformal” describes a coating material in which angles of theunderlying material are preserved by the conformal material. The term“about” indicates that the value listed may be somewhat altered, as longas the alteration does not result in nonconformance of the process orstructure to the described teachings. Finally, “exemplary” indicates thedescription is used as an example, rather than implying that it is anideal. Other aspects of the present teachings will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the disclosure herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the present teachings being indicated by the following claims.

Terms of relative position as used in this application are defined basedon a plane parallel to the conventional plane or working surface of aworkpiece, regardless of the orientation of the workpiece. The term“horizontal” or “lateral” as used in this application is defined as aplane parallel to the conventional plane or working surface of aworkpiece, regardless of the orientation of the workpiece. The term“vertical” refers to a direction perpendicular to the horizontal. Termssuch as “on,” “side” (as in “sidewall”), “higher,” “lower,” “over,”“top,” and “under” are defined with respect to the conventional plane orworking surface being on the top surface of the workpiece, regardless ofthe orientation of the workpiece.

What is claimed is:
 1. A product package, comprising: a vessel definingan orifice; a product disposed within the vessel and configured to bedispensed from the vessel through the orifice; a cap that is configuredto be attached to the vessel, wherein the cap is repositionable from aclosed position to an open position, and from the open position to theclosed position; a seal positioned over the orifice and configured toseal the product within the vessel; and a scented material having afragrance, wherein the scented material is attached to a surface of theseal, wherein the product package is configured to release the fragranceof the scented material to an exterior of the product package when thecap is in the open position and to substantially prevent the release ofthe fragrance to the exterior of the product package when the cap is inthe closed position.
 2. The product package of claim 1, wherein: theseal is configured to be removed to allow the product to be dispensedfrom the vessel; and the scented material is configured to be removedsimultaneously with a removal of the seal.
 3. The product package ofclaim 2, wherein: the vessel further comprises a threaded end; the capis configured to be screwed onto the threaded end to place the cap inthe closed position; and the cap is further configured to be unscrewedfrom the threaded end to place the cap in the open position.
 4. Theproduct package of claim 1, further comprising text and/or graphics onthe exterior of the product package, wherein the text and/or graphicsare configured to inform a consumer that the product package includesthe fragrance that may be sampled by moving the cap from the closedposition to the open position.
 5. The product package of claim 1,wherein the product is one of a toothpaste, a mouthwash, a deodorant, anantiperspirant, a perfume, a powder, and a lotion.
 6. A product package,comprising: a vessel defining an orifice; a product disposed within thevessel and configured to be dispensed from the vessel through theorifice; a cap that is configured to be attached to the vessel, whereinthe cap is repositionable from a closed position to an open position,and from the open position to the closed position; and a scentedmaterial having a fragrance, wherein the scented material is attached tothe cap, wherein the product package is configured to release thefragrance of the scented material to an exterior of the product packagewhen the cap is in the open position and to substantially prevent therelease of the fragrance to the exterior of the product package when thecap is in the closed position.
 7. The product package of claim 6,wherein the cap comprises: a base; a top; a hinge that movably attachesthe base to the top; a dispensing tip defining an opening, wherein theproduct package is configured to dispense the product from the openingdefined by the dispensing tip; and a ring protruding from an innersurface of the top, wherein the ring encircles an end of the dispensingtip and the opening when the cap is in the closed position, wherein thescented material is disposed in a pattern around the ring.
 8. Theproduct package of claim 6, wherein: the cap is configured to be removedfrom the vessel to provide access to a seal that blocks the orifice; andthe seal is configured to be removed to allow the product to bedispensed from the vessel.
 9. The product package of claim 8, wherein:the vessel further comprises a threaded end; and the cap is configuredto be unscrewed from the threaded end to provide the access to the seal.10. The product package of claim 6, wherein the product is one of atoothpaste, a mouthwash, a deodorant, an antiperspirant, a perfume, apowder, and a lotion.
 11. A method for manufacturing a product package,comprising: disposing a product into a vessel, the vessel defining anorifice, wherein the product is configured to be dispensed from thevessel through the orifice; providing a seal and a cap; attaching ascented material to at least one of the seal and the cap; attaching theseal to the vessel, wherein the seal is configured to seal the productwithin the vessel; and attaching the cap to the vessel, wherein the capis repositionable from a closed position to an open position to releasea fragrance from the scented material to an exterior of the productpackage, and from the open position to the closed position therebysubstantially preventing the release of the fragrance to the exterior ofthe product package.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein: the attachingof the scented material to the at least one of the seal and the capcomprises attaching the scented material to the seal; the vesselcomprises a lip that defines the orifice, and the attaching of the sealto the vessel further comprises attaching the seal to the lip; and theseal is configured to be removed from the lip prior to dispensing theproduct from the vessel.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein theattaching of the scented material to the at least one of the seal andthe cap comprises attaching the scented material to the cap.
 14. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the attaching of the cap to the vesselcomprises screwing the cap onto a threaded end of the vessel.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the disposing of the product into the vesselcomprises disposing one of a toothpaste, a mouthwash, a deodorant, anantiperspirant, a perfume, a powder, and a lotion into the vessel.